Legendary rap duo Salt-N-Pepa have opened up about their ongoing legal dispute with Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the label of violating federal copyright law by refusing to honor their termination rights.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton explained that, despite signing their record contract over 30 years ago, they are now legally entitled to reclaim the rights to their original recordings.
“When you’re an artist, in the beginning, you sign a contract saying that the copyrights will revert back to you after 35 years,” Salt said.
“And we’ve done all the things legally to get our copyrights back. But they’re just refusing, so we had to sue them.”
Denton added,
“It’s the law. That’s what it really boils down to.”
Under U.S. copyright law, artists can reclaim ownership of their music after a set period—typically 35 years—through termination rights. However, Salt-N-Pepa say UMG has blocked that process, prompting them to file a federal lawsuit in May.
The lawsuit also alleges that UMG has removed some of Salt-N-Pepa biggest hits, including the iconic track “Push It”, from streaming platforms amid the legal battle.
Now, the pioneering women in hip-hop are fighting back to regain control of their music legacy—and set a precedent for artist rights.
